Rudrakshamala Necklace

This elaborate gold necklace once adorned the neck of a Brahman priest or wealthy Chettiar (a male member of a mercantile community with roots in Tamil Nadu in southern India). He would have worn it on very special occasions, or donated it to a temple. Its chain, made of Rudraksha beads from a tree believed to be sacred to the Hindu god Shiva, is attached to three golden lozenges decorated with rubies and semiprecious stones. The central amulet depicts the divine couple, Shiva and Parvati, flanked by their two sons, Ganesha and Murugan. Kaumari, a goddess related to Murugan, appears on the clasp astride her vehicle, the peacock. The bottom amulet would have contained a lingam, an abstract representation of Shiva, or sacred ash, allowing it to function as a portable shrine.